EDFL: Maribyrnong Park appoints Brad Swain as coach for 2021
Maribyrnong Park’s new coach has revealed his vision for the top-flight EDFL side after replacing Dean Laidley at the helm, and the Lions have plenty of reasons to be optimistic as clubs prepare to tackle salary cap cuts in 2021.
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New Maribyrnong Park coach Brad Swain is confident the top-flight Essendon District Football club has a prosperous future on the back of an enviable stable of young talent.
Swain, who has replaced Dean Laidley at the helm, declared the Lions aspired to be a “benchmark of the competition over time”.
The state of play has changed significantly in local football amid the coronavirus crisis, with salary caps slashed statewide.
It means added importance will be placed on developing homegrown players in coming years, with the ability to recruit heavily limited.
“This group is really exciting,” Swain told Leader Local Footy.
“We’ve got a strong core of young players that are really focused on driving us forward as a club.
“Everybody’s had a difficult 2020, and the way that our club and that playing group have handled 2020 has been super impressive. Their attitude is remarkable.”
The Lions were tipped as a contender for relegation last year after a long list of key senior players departed.
But the predictions proved wide of the mark, with the club finishing in sixth position on the Premier Division ladder with seven wins.
“We saw a lot of development in our group in 2019 and we were expecting that to continue in 2020,” Swain said.
“Now we look ahead to 2021, and obviously that young group is now two years older.
“We’d like to put a little bit more experience around that young group over time if we can, and that might be through a playing assistant coach or a couple of older, more mature players.
“(But) our focus is that young playing group because we know they’ve got such upside.”
The likes of George Abboud, Matthew Gaul, Jordan Davey, Alex Barba headline the young guns at the Lions’ disposal.
They recruited impressively before the season was canned, with Jean-Luc Velissaris, Mitch Comben, Patrick McCarthy, Cooper Page and Ismail Moussa signing on.
Twin towers Nick and Chris Prowse and Marwan Abdul-Wahed also returned.
Swain said he expected the “vast majority” to re-commit before Maribyrnong Park turns its attention to recruiting
“We’ve got about half of our senior team that played together in an under-19 premiership in 2017,” he said.
“We’re really proud that they are now the core of our senior team.
“We’re very much going to put all the resources around them that we can.
“Obviously my job is to give them the best opportunity to flourish as senior players.”
Swain previously worked under Gary Ayres at Port Melbourne for three years and joined the Lions as an assistant ahead of the 2019 campaign.
The 36-year-old, who was born in Tasmania, was also an assistant under Mitch Thorp at South Launceston for two years and involved in its 2013 Tasmanian State League flag.
Swain said he was given the opportunity to “do quite a bit of coaching” at state league level.
“When you’re involved in environments like that, you’re not just moving cones,” he said.
Swain said there was an air of stability at Maribyrnong Park, with Jarrad Carey to continue as football manager and dual premiership player Nick Bailey appointed reserves coach.
“Brad has also worked in community recreation leadership and will take a whole club approach to his role, working with our junior coordinators and coaches to ensure that we continue to develop and support our players and coaches,” club president Andrew Brockfield said.
“The club committee are really excited by the experience and work ethic that Brad will provide to our football programs right throughout the club; ultimately leading to greater enjoyment, participation and development of all Marby players.
“Brad’s initial focus over the next few months will be re-engaging our young but talented senior men’s playing squad, ensuring they are in the best possible head-space and physical conditioning to attack the 2021 EDFL Premier Division season.”
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